Jury unanimously recommends death for Kirksey

Monday

Jurors voted unanimously Monday to recommend the death sentence for Ronnie Lynn Kirksey, convicted in the 2006 murder of his girlfriend's son, 23-month-old Cornell Norwood.

Jurors voted unanimously Monday to recommend the death sentence for Ronnie Lynn Kirksey, convicted in the 2006 murder of his girlfriend's son, 23-month-old Cornell Norwood.Jurors deliberated less than two hours before the returning the recommendation. The same jurors convicted Kirksey Thursday of capital murder in the child's death.Etowah County Circuit Judge David Kimberley has set sentencing for April 30. Kimberley can follow the jury’s recommendation and sentence Kirksey to death or sentence him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.The sentencing phase of the trial got under way Monday morning with Kirksey’s family members pleading for jurors to spare his life.“With every bone in my body, I’d like for you to spare his life,” his uncle, Stanley Simmons Sr., told jurors Monday. “I helped raise him. He’s like my own son.”A forensic psychologist testified that he interviewed Kirksey in December and conducted several tests in about a three- or four-hour period. The tests showed Kirksey had average intelligence and a “pretty good vocabulary for someone with a fourth- or fifth-grade reading level.”The psychologist testified that Kirksey did not “sense he had done anything to cause the child’s death.”Under cross-examination by Chief Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid, the psychologist first said he could not say that Cornell was tortured with the injuries that led to his death.Reid simulated the kicking and stomping that caused the injuries that led to Cornell’s death, explaining to the psychologist that Kirksey kicked the child.“He stood on him and crushed him,” Reid said as he rocked from side to side, “Like he was kneading bread dough. You put all your weight on that child, until the blood runs out of his ears and nose ... Is that torture?”The psychologist agreed that it was.Defense attorney Vince Pentecost told jurors in his opening statement, “You have to decide to show mercy or wrath.”Jurors first had to unanimously agree that the crime was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel to continue their deliberations. If they had not reached that agreement, then the recommendation automatically would have been life in prison with the possibility of parole.After jurors reached that unanimous decision, they deliberated the aggravating and mitigating circumstances.Jurors voted, 12-0, to recommend death.“This was a very difficult case for the jury to hear,” District Attorney Jimmie Harp said. “(Kirksey) admitted while on the stand that only a monster could do this. This jury believes that is exactly what he was.“This was a particularly brutal and unnecessary killing of a small and innocent child. The death penalty is something that is reserved in only the worst cases. This was certainly one of those circumstances.”Harp further praised the efforts of Gadsden Police Department investigators and the work of assistant district attorneys Reid and Carol Griffith.“This is the fourth capital murder case involving the death of young children in the last 24 months and in each of those cases the juries have recommended the death sentence,” Reid said. “I am pleased that the juries in this community have spoken clearly that (they) will not tolerate violence against children.”Griffith said she is pleased with the jury’s verdict.“This was a particularly difficult case and the evidence presented to the jury was not an easy thing to have to see. I appreciate their attentiveness to the evidence and their hard work over the past three weeks.”The child had a skull fracture that caused his death, but had several more injuries that would have killed him had he not died from the head injury first, a forensic pathologist testified.The child had traumatic injuries to his stomach, heart, lungs and diaphragm, and the aorta — the main artery through his body — was torn.Kirksey gave statements soon after Cornell’s death, explaining how he kicked and stomped the child.During testimony during the trial, Kirksey said he fell on the child and that, along with the damage from CPR, caused the injuries.

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